Biggest, Costliest Election Now in Virginia Voters’ Hands

LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 20: Voters cast their ballots during the first day of early voting in Nevada at the East Las Vegas Community Center polling station October 20, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Early voting continues in the battleground state of Nevada until November 2 with election day on November 6. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)credit: David Becker/Getty Images

RICHMOND, Va. (CBSDC/AP) — Virginia’s biggest, most expensive political season with unprecedented attention from presidential candidates is drawing long lines of voters to polling places across the state.

President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are in a toss-up race for the 13 electoral votes that both parties consider vital for victory. Polls are open in Virginia from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Four years ago, Obama became the first Democrat in 44 years to win Virginia in a presidential race. The president had a lead in polling and appeared headed for a repeat in Virginia until Romney pulled within the statistical margin of error in October, after Obama’s poor performance in the first presidential debate.

In another tight race, two former governors, Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican George Allen, are battling for the seat Democratic Sen. Jim Webb is vacating. The outcome could determine whether Democrats keep their narrow U.S. Senate majority.

The Senate race has attracted about $53 million in spending by outside, independent organizations, many of which do not have to disclose their wealthy donors. That’s the largest amount for any Senate contest. About 60 percent of that money was spent either in opposition to Kaine or support of Allen.

All 11 of the state’s congressmen — eight Republicans, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and three Democrats — face challengers to their re-election, most of them little-known newcomers.

Voters also must decide on a constitutional amendment to limit the government taking of private property for economic development needs. Virginia’s legislature outlawed the practice in 2007, leading opponents to say the amendment is not needed.

State Board of Elections figures show absentee voting is up slightly over 2008.

In the campaign’s final week, both candidates and their A-list surrogates have blanketed Virginia, which for 40 years was a reliably Republican afterthought in presidential politics.

Romney made six stops in Virginia in the past week, about the same number as his running mate, Paul Ryan.

Obama headlined one late-night rally Saturday with more than 25,000 people at an outdoor amphitheater in northern Virginia with former President Bill Clinton and rocker Dave Matthews. Vice President Joe Biden spent Sunday and Monday crisscrossing Virginia, making four stops, one of them with musician John Mellencamp.

All-News 99.1 WNEW will have comprehensive live coverage of the election results tonight on-air and online at CBSDC.com.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)